The present invention relates to a disk cartridge loading mechanism for use in a disk recording and/or regenerating device and, more particularly, to a disk cartridge loading mechanism provided with a holder for holding a disk cartridge as a recording medium.
Referring to FIG. 1, a known cartridge loading mechanism includes a chassis 201 on which a spindle motor (not shown), etc. are mounted, and a holder 203 having one end rotatably supported thereon by support shafts 202.
With the known disk cartridge loading mechanism, when making the holder 203 inclined at a predetermined elevation angle or so-called open angle so that a cartridge take-off opening 204 provided at another end of the holder 203 is turned upward on the support shafts 202 as a fulcrum, the holder 203 is in the unloading state. If, in this state, a disk cartridge 205 as a medium is inserted into the holder 203 from the cartridge take-off opening 204, and the holder 203 is rotated downward to be in the loading state, a disk 206 of the disk cartridge 205 received in the holder 203 is chucked on the spindle motor to rotate therewith.
With the known disk cartridge loading mechanism, however, since the support shafts 202 of the holder 203 are supported to the chassis 201, and therefore, positional displacement of the support shaft 202 is not possible in the vertical direction, etc., there arise the following problems:
1) When the holder 203 is in the unloading or ejecting state, its open angle or inclination angle is larger, so that upon unloading, the spindle motor, head for record and regeneration of a disk, etc. can be seen from below the holder 203, becoming unpreferred in terms of appearance. PA1 2) The open angle of the holder 203 is large, so that a dead space is enlarged, resulting in a difficulty of reducing the thickness of a main body of the mechanism. PA1 a chassis; PA1 a holder arranged to hold the cartridge, said holder having one end rotatably supported to said chassis for carrying out a loading and a unloading of the cartridge, said holder having a fulcrum; and PA1 a driver for moving said fulcrum of said holder away from said chassis in accordance with a rotation of said holder in a direction of said unloading of the cartridge, and moving said fulcrum of said holder near to said chassis in accordance with a rotation of said holder in a direction of said loading of the cartridge. PA1 a head carriage provided with a head for recording and/or regenerating the signals on the disk; PA1 a chassis arranged to slidably support said head carriage in a manner to be movable in a radial direction of the disk, said chassis being provided with a driver for driving said head carriage; PA1 a holder arranged to hold the cartridge, said holder having one end rotatably supported to said chassis for carrying out a loading and a unloading of the cartridge, said holder having a fulcrum; PA1 a driver for moving said fulcrum of said holder away from said chassis in accordance with a rotation of said holder in a direction of said unloading of the cartridge, and moving said fulcrum of said holder near to said chassis in accordance with a rotation of said holder in a direction of said loading of the cartridge; PA1 a lock for carrying out a lock of said holder in a position of said loading of the carriage; and PA1 a lock release, engaged with said lock, for driving said lock means to release said lock of said holder in accordance with an actuation of said driver.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to solve the above prior art problems, and to provide a disk cartridge loading mechanism which is hard to see a spindle motor, head, etc. from below a holder even upon the unloading of a holder by reducing an open angle upon unloading thereof. Another object is to provide a disk cartridge loading mechanism which is easy to reduce a thickness.